how-to block ads
|
|
Uniqs:
201 |
Share Topic
 |
 |
|
|
approval from:
ke4pym 
| pathetic reviews I don't mean to piss anyone off, but these comments are pretty pathetic. You're all commenting on on which carrier is faster/better but you have no clue as to how to determine the facts. The only thing you truly have the "expertise" to comment on are the pricing plans, your own "customer support" experience, and perhaps your own speed results (though some of you can't even reliably comment on that). But for those of your trying to claim Sprint is faster than Verizon (or vice versa) you have no legitimate way of making such claims. Only one guy came close to setting up the tests correctly, but even he had flaws in the setup.
If you really want to compare network performance, you need to examine the RF conditions at the site you're testing to put the carrier's on equal ground (and no, I don't mean just the "bars" on your device, I'm mean C/I, DRC, the pilots you're talking to, etc), and then run tests on the same hardware (card and computer), same OS, same settings, same target files, same servers, 24/7 to eliminate loading, month to month to see trends, etc. And if you want to test coverage, you need to use the same setup minus the RF portion (because that's what you're trying to test) and drive/walk around miles of land recording the RF conditions and speeds the entire time.
But all I've seen in this forum are a bunch of people with different setups trying to test their own carrier and compare it to another carrier that, in general, they don't even use. And for those that have used both carriers, you use different hardware, files, setup, etc. Seriously, stop trying to pretend you know how to compare networks and "know" that Sprint is faster/more reliable than Verizon. Just state your own experience and leave it at that. And keep in mind, just because 10-50 or so people write a review, that hardly counts as definitive proof that one carrier is faster/more reliable than the other. You need hundreds if not thousands of samples, all with the same setup, to make such claims.
If you really want the answers to who's objectively better, go inquire at companies like Mobile Complete, Zandan, Telephia, Keynote etc... the ones that actually do standardized testing across the country. See what those guys say overall... then maybe we can believe the results. Most of you (especially the Sprint fanatics) will be surprised at who really comes out on top... and even then, it's not as black-and-white as some of you try to make it. It varies by market, time of day, and may even depend on whether you're looking at averages versus peaks/lows/ranges. | |
4 edits | Here are some comparisons of speedtest results. Unfortunately these aren't always accurate (the flash based tests), as there are some that use a proxy and show too high of a result, but it does give a good indication.
Ignore results over 3Mbps as they used a proxy...
»/archive/spcsdns.net
»/archive/myvzw.com
Here are results for cellphones, which tend to be slower than laptop cards..
»/mspeed?domains=1
The bottom line though is that performance will vary most on your conditions and how many people are sharing the tower. Verizon has about 28K cellsites with over 60m users. Sprint has over 30K cellsites with about 25m CDMA users, so has a better user/tower ratio. There are so many factors but Sprint has consistently shown better average performance on other speedtest sites as well, so it's difficult to argue.
And Sprint roams on Alltel EVDO while Verizon does not, so ultimately has much much more EVDO coverage in some states. And Sprint has no 5GB limit that Verizon has (on paper). Sprint also allows more granular control of roaming, forced EVDO, data tuning, etc. So the only reason to consider Verizon is if you want better customer support or if in an area that has Verizon EVDO but not Sprint. | |
|
